Spring shackle



G. E. PARKER SPRING SHACKLE Filed Aug. 17, 1929 \MXMQ attomqo Patented July 23, 1935 Y I 2,008,925

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING, SHACKLE Guy E. Parker, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a. corporation of Delaware Application August 17, 1929, Serial No. 386,522

3 Claims. (01. 267-47) In a well constructed automotive vehicle, which In the drawing, the reference character i ins is provided with semi-elliptic front load-carrying dicates the chassis frame of an automotive leaf springs, which are connected at their front vehicle. To support the front end of the vehicle ends to the side members of the chassis frameuby from the road wheels, there are provided an axle pivot bolts and at their rear ends to the side II and load-carrying leaf springs I2 which are members of the chassis frames by shackles, steersecured to the axle by means of U-bolts I3. The ing wheel kick results principally from three rear ends of the springsllare connected to incauses, viz., front wheel tramp, front wheel shimtermediate portions of the side members of themy, and the movement of the road wheel, which chassis frame by means of shackles l4 whichare is carried by the steering knuckle which carries connected to theechassis frame by pivot bolts [5 10 the steering arm, when it encounters a bump in and to thesprings by.:pivot bolts "5.,

the road. Front wheel tramp and front wheel To connect the front end of the sprmg l2 on shimmy, in themselves, without regard to their the side of the vehicle, ongwhich thesteering effect on steering, are highly objectionable. arm is provided onthe steering knuckle to the Steering wheel'kick, which results from the side member of the chassis. frame, there is pro 1' 7 causes mentioned above, front wheel tramp, and vided a bracket H which includes a portion which front wheel shimmy can be greatly reduced, if extends into the channel of the side member of not entirely eliminated, by connecting the front the chassis frame and is secured thereto by rivets endof the front spring, on the side of the vehicle 18 and a downwardly directed a portion 19.

20 on which the steering arm is provided on the Through the extremities of the legs of a U- 20 steering knuckle, to the chassis frame by means shaped shackle 26, which straddles the intermewhich allows a limited amount of resiliently opdiate portion of the bracket H, and through the posed movement of the spring and the adjacent intermediate portion of the bracket, there extends end of the front axle longitudinally of the spring. a bolt 2!, which pivotally connects the shackle My invention relates, generally, to devices for to the bracket. 7 5 connecting an end of a leaf spring to a supporting Through the lower extremity of the downwardor supported member so as to allow a limited 1y directed portion of the bracket l1 extends a amount of resiliently opposed movement of the pair of horizontally spaced openings 22. Through spring longitudinally of itself, and, particularly, the bis t 0f h shackle eXtendS a p of hori-v to such a device which is peculiarly adapted for zontally spaced openings 23, which are slightly 30 use in connecting one end of the front spring larger in dia et r han t e p s a d O which is located on the side of the vehicle on which each is substantially axially aligned with which the steering arm is provided on the steerone of the openings 22. Each of the openings 22 mg knuckle to the chassis frame so as to 'elimiis, as indicated at 2 3, countersunk from the rear t Steering wh l kick, front h el tramp, and side of the downwardly directedv portion of the 5 front wheel shimmy. bracket l1, and each of the openings 23 is, as For a better understanding of the nature and indicated at 25 and 26, countersunk from both objects of the present invention, reference is sides of the shackle. made to the following specification in which is Through each pair of aligned openings 22 and 40 described the preferred embodiment of my inthere eXte-flds a bolt 27 which fits snugly in 40 vention which is illustrated in the accompanying the opening 22 and rather loosely in the opendrawing. ing 23. Between the bracket IT and the shackle In the accompanying drawing; f 26 extend a pair of coil springs 28, of which each Figure 1 is a view, showing, in side elevation, surrounds one of the bolts 21 and is seated at its the front end of the side member on the steering Opposite ends, through e intermediary of Washside of the chassis frame and the associated loadin one of the recesses 24 and e of the carrying spring of an automotive vehicle, recesses 25. Surrounding the rear end of each Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation, with of the bolts 21 and seated at its opposite ends parts broken away and in section, of the front n 0 Of h recesses 2G a d against a 17 3 connection of the load-carrying spring to the which is threaded on the bolt 21, through the 50 chassis frame shown in Figure 1. intermediary of washers 3! and 32, respectively,

Figure 3 is an enlarged end elevation, with is a coil spring 33. The initial load on, or parts broken away and in section, of the front compression of, the springs 28 and 33, and the connection of the load-carrying spring to the position of rest of the shackle 20 can be adjusted chassis frame shown in the preceding figures. by screwing in or out on the nuts 30.

Between the intermediate portion of the legs of the shackle 20, there is located an eye 34 which is formed on the front end of the spring I2. Through the intermediate portions of the legs of the shackle and through the eye 34, there extends a bolt 35 which pivotally connects the front end of the spring to the shackle.

While vertical forces applied to the shackle 29 through the spring 52 will have no tendency to cause it to swing about the pivot 2| which connects it to the bracket i1, movement of the spring longitudinally of itself will causethe shackle to rock about the pivot 21 This pivotal movement of the shackle 26 will cause either the springs 28 or the springs 33 to be further loaded or compressed, and, consequently pivotal movement of the shackle will be resiliently opposed, the movement of the spring longitudinally of itself will be resiliently cushioned, and front wheel kick, front wheel shimmy, and front wheel tramp will be eliminated. V

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to understood that this has been done by way of example and not'by way of limitation, and that the scope of my invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an automotive vehicle, a frame member having a horizontal portion and a portion depending therefrom, a U-shaped shackle straddling the horizontal portion of the frame member and pivotally connected thereto, a leaf spring having one end located between the intermediate portions of the legs of the shackle and pivotally connected thereto, a pair of elements extending through the lower end of the shackle and through the depending portion of the frame member, resilient means surrounding a portion of each of the elements and located between the depending portion of the frame member and the shackle, and resilient means surrounding the portions of the elements on the opposite side of the shackle and located between the shackle and abutments carried by the elements.

2. In an automotive vehicle, a substantially horizontally disposed frame member on which there is provided a downwardly directed extremity, a link which is pivotally connected to the substantially horizontally disposed frame memher and depends therefrom, a leaf spring of which one end is pivotally connected to an intermediate portion of the link, and resilient means associated with the lower end of the link and the downwardly directed extremity to oppose oscillatory movement of the link about its pivotal conne'ction'to the substantially horizontally disposed frame member.

3. In an automotive vehicle, an approximately horizontally disposed frame member on which there is provided an angularly related extremity, a link which is pivotally mounted on the approximately horizontally disposed frame member and extends approximately parallel to the angularly related extremity, a leaf spring of which one end is pivotally connected to the link, and resilient means associated with the link and the angularly related extremity to oppose oscillatory movement of the link about its pivotal connection to the approximately horizontally disposed frame member.

GUY E. PARKER 

